Tags: Social

Happy Earth Day from Visual News! There have been a lot of exciting movements since the inception of Earth Day in 1970. Recycling is being utilized more than ever, dialogues over major environmental issues are being discussed and acted upon, farmer’s markets are ubiquitous, and bans on plastic bags and bottles are just beginning in major cities. There’s plenty to be proud of, but no one can pat each other on the back just yet. There is still much to do both globally and locally. For Earth Day 2015, here are a few simple ways you can help the planet and give back. …

Never been married? You’re not alone. With changes in family structure and social norms it’s no shocker that rates of marriage have been declining for the last few decades, but the number of Americans who have never been married has now reached an all time high. As of 2012, one in five adults over 25 years old have never been married. Compare that to 1960, when only one in nine in the same range had never been married.…

Earlier this year, we introduced you to one of our favorite installations on Earth, Matt Elson’s incredible infinity boxes, which we first discovered at Burning Man. The socially interactive mirror boxes require 2 participants to activate their magic so they are a great way to turn strangers into friends. Videos can’t do justice for the live experience of an infinity box, but you can get an idea in the link above or the video below. Now Elson and his crew have been invited to take their Infinity Boxes beyond The Playa in Black Rock City, Nevada and other festivals in California so that more people can enjoy them, but he needs your help! …

Tikkun Olam are two deeply meaningful Hebrew words which literally translate to “repair the world.” It is a core value of Jewish culture, and is manifesting itself in a beautiful and modern way this week in the city of Nazareth, Northern Israel. For a non-stop 72 hours that began yesterday, a 3D printing “Make-A-Thon” similar to Hack-A-Thons is underway; one where 120 of the top designers, engineers and makers from Israel and the world are bringing customized assistance to those with physical disabilities. It is an open-sourced event with hopes to make a huge impact to those who need help the most.…

If you’re like most of us, you aren’t just taking photos anymore. The modern, media filled life will not constrain itself to the still image, or even just a video. That’s why the new app Ultravisual is so exciting. Already featured worldwide by Apple as a Best New App in the photo/video category, Ultravisual combines photos, videos, stop motion, and GIFs in a beautifully intuitive interface. Creating, editing and publishing is a cinch… and we’ve got some surprisingly cool cat videos to prove it.…

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that life is a current, and it’s up to you to fight against it or go with the flow.” These are some of the words of the Hippie Van Man also known to some as Aaron Neilson-Belman. Born and raised in Toronto, Aaron decided to start HippieVanMan.com and take his 1979 Volkswagen T2 Transporter on an adventure down to South America. The mission of Hippie Van Man is “Sharing the experience, inspiring people to fulfill their dreams, and to live in the now.” It’s also about the “Spirit of adventure, and spreading smiles and good vibes 1km at a time.“…

Trying to figure out — and stay up with — what’s going on with social networks requires some dedication, and keeping your ear to the ground. If you’ve been paying attention, then you’ve probably noticed a shift in the conversation. Previously, the dialogue was fixated on growing Fans, Followers, and building a creative presence on social media sites. Now, the dialogue has shifted into a conversation about driving real engagement and measurable business value.…

With the summer vacation season now upon us, Facebook has dipped into its check-in data to figure out the locations of the world’s most social landmarks. The data covered 25 cities worldwide, and the most popular social landmarks included sports arenas, public areas, amusement parks, concert arenas, and shopping malls. People love checking into their favorite spots, whether to celebrate memories with family and friends, or make them jealous because they might be missing out on an amazing time. Some of the most popular check-ins are an obvious no-brainer — like Times Square in NYC or the Coliseum in Rome, Italy — others will totally surprise you, and places left off the list will leave you scratching your head as to why they didn’t make the cut.…

Quitting your good job at Cambridge University to go hitchhiking to Uganda is foolish, right? Why give up such security, status and comfortable living? For Pawel Huk the answer was street children. His heart was moved by the reality that there are over 10,000 children who have to survive on their own in Uganda. So, he quit his job and decided to hitchhike to Uganda while raising money and awareness about the social issue throughout the journey. The support he raised was donated to the UK based organization Street Child Africa.…

Social media has become an ever increasing part of our lives over the past few years. Five years ago Facebook was just a place to connect with friends you knew and foster relationships with new ones. Today, everyone and their mother (grandmother, aunt, uncle, cousins, and cat) are on Facebook; so it’s no surprise employees are going on social networks, and even browsing them in the office. The corporate debate over allowing employees to partake in these activities during work hours is a controversial one.…